Come out of that closet, Sceners! Stand up.
Be counted. Take heart, you are not alone! A kind
writing friend told me of a gifted, famous author
who uses our style. Let the name Diana G. and
a beautifully written outlandish series give you
hope—as it did me. (If this isn't true—please,
I'd really rather not know.) Ah, but I seem to
sense some confusion. Perhaps I'd best explain.
"Scener" is the term I’ve coined
to describe the way I write—it's much more
positive than many other names I have called myself:
scatterbrained, episodic, plot-less and yes, even
witless. Writers among you who favor the two better
known writing styles—Plotters, those preferring
a well-structured outline and fully-developed
characters, and Pantsers, those who sit ready
at a keyboard, waiting for each chapter to reveal
itself in turn—be aware there exists yet
another method.
Allow me to introduce Sceners—the small
and seldom mentioned group staring in bewilderment
during workshops on plotting techniques or character
charts, because we just don't write that way.
What do I mean by a Scener? Imagine if you will—a
story as it arrives in the minds of Sceners. Neither
an intricate, conveniently packaged plot destined
to be a block-buster nor the gripping opening
words of a book, revealing itself line-by-line,
holding both writer and critique partners spellbound—but
no, envision instead, one lonely scene.
Set somewhere in a yet unknown story, a scene
unfolds in the imagination. It may be visual—a
woman walking the beach with a dog, or a conversation,
or an internal movie complete with exquisite dialogue,
vivid characters caught in tension-filled conflict,
or perhaps an exciting love scene or a tearjerking
ending.
But—here's the downer—as a Scener,
I have no idea who these characters are, what
their story is about, when or in what order the
rest of my story will arrive, or why that darn
dog is so important to the scene. ("Why don't
you cut the dog?" my brilliant critique partner
so rightly asks. "But," I instinctively
cry out, "I can't!" Later, my muse reveals
that it's the dog that saves the heroine. Aha!)
Once the book has unfolded, though, I will revise
and rewrite as needed. After all, each scene is...well,
it's only a scene. I see this as a Scener's main
strength: we are flexible.
However, this approach does create difficulties.
A Scener struggles with how to pitch a story before
writing the book (necessary for success in commercial
fiction) or participate in a critique group (understandably,
others find it difficult to envision a book as
a series of disjointed scenes). But my critique
group is invaluable, asking important questions
such as, "What does your character want?
What is the conflict?" "I don't know,"
I whine. Their remarks are enlightening; they
see the flaws in my plotting. So I search for
answers to the crucial issues they've raised.
Thanks to them, my story is stronger, my writing
has improved.
Each writing style has inherent strengths and
weaknesses—we can learn from each other.
My Plotting friends taught me to recognize defects
in my plots and to analyze story arcs, and Pantsers
gave me the courage to sit at a keyboard, plunge
myself deeply into a scene and let it unfurl as
it will.
What have I learned as a Scener? Write, write,
write—leave assembling the scenes until
later. Use index cards (easily rearranged.) Respect
your gut feeling. Rewrite or cut scenes that don't
succeed. Use Post-It notes to write the outline
after the book is written. Celebrate
your strengths: allow your mind to play with your
next idea, jotting quick notes as you concentrate
your effort on your current story. Brainstorm
with other writers, no matter their style. Take
Plotters and Pantsers workshops; you'll gain from
both. Settle into bed at night (flashlight, pen
and index cards nearby) and pose your story idea,
scene or plot problem as a question: Why does
the Heroine need to be on that hiking trail at
night when there is a killer in the area? (Thereby
avoiding the dreaded "too stupid to live"
character.) Then, let your mind reveal the still-hidden
strands of the tapestry it is creating for you.
Although I use Scener as the name for our style—it's
all about the tale. The story lives within us.
In the scene you envision, you've focused on one
image, one strand, one moment before you. But
in the imagination, the entire panorama of your
fantasy world already exists. Tap into it. Respect
your creative process. Make it work for you.
Most importantly, enjoy and appreciate your writing
style. Remember the beauty of being a Scener—if
a scene isn't enhancing your story, you simply
rewrite the scene!
Thank you to my critique group and the members
of RWA® for sharing their knowledge and encouraging
me as I progressed from the writer of a series
of disjointed scenes to a writer of books.
Elizabeth Allan is past secretary and a Pro member
of GVC as well as a member of the KOD chapter
of RWA®.
Articles may be reprinted in RWA® chapter
newsletters, attributed to the Spotlight.
Non-RWA® newsletters may not reprint articles
without the permission of the authors.
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